11/21/2018 9:14 AM PST

DeSean Jackson will wear Rodney King-themed cleats for the Bucs game Sunday ... featuring the words "Black Lives Matter" and a depiction of a police officer raising a baton.

For the next few weeks, the NFL is allowing players to raise awareness for causes they support using custom kicks as part of the league's "My Cause, My Cleats" program.

DeSean chose black-and-blue colored spikes for his cause ... a clear message he's trying to help end police brutality in America.

The cleats feature King's face ... the "Black Lives Matter" slogan ... Florence and Normandie street signs (a major point of the riots and where Reginald Denny was attacked) ... and a shadowy drawing of an officer raising his baton at 5 open hands.

What's interesting ... DeSean's set to debut the kicks against the 49ers -- the team Colin Kaepernick famously started his kneeling protests with to help raise awareness for social injustice in America.

The NFL will allow Jackson to auction off the spikes after the game ... with 100 percent of the profits going to the charity of his choosing.

9/17/2018 10:42 AM PDT

DeSean Jackson﻿says Ryan Fitzpatrick looked SO GOOD in his borrowed clothes after Sunday's game ... he's gonna make it his mission to keep him fresh all season long!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Bucs star WR after he lit up the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday -- a team he takes great pleasure in torching ever since they let him go back in 2014.

"It felt like no other, bro" DeSean said when asked about that 75 yard TD on the first play of the game ... "It was like surreal. It was a great feeling."

Jackson says the whole team is in a good place after the win -- but tells us they're staying focused on the long-term goal, "We're not peaking too soon."

As for Fitzpatrick, DeSean says he's been getting high praise for the way he dressed up his QB after the game ... some even compared Fitz to Conor McGregor ... so DJ says he's gotta keep the tradition going!

6/28/2018 10:55 AM PDT

Jameis Winston is apologizing to the Uber driver who claims the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback sexually assaulted her during a 2016 ride ... and now says he's "eliminated alcohol from my life."

Winston opened up about the incident Thursday -- right after the NFL formally suspended him for 3 games for the incident.

The Uber driver had previously claimed she picked Winston up from a bar area in Scottsdale, AZ and took him to a drive-thru restaurant ... where he forcibly grabbed her vagina.

"First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in," Winston said in a statement.

"It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologize."

Important to note -- Winston never denies the allegations in his statement but we've learned he's privately telling friends he did NOT grope the woman.

The NFL doesn't believe him -- and said in a statement of their own that an investigation showed Winston "[touched] the driver in an inappropriate and sexual manner without her consent."

Winston's statement continues ... "In the past 2 1/2 years my life has been filled with experiences, opportunities and events that have helped me grow, mature and learn, including the fact that I have eliminated alcohol from my life."

It's interesting, considering Winston's past -- he was accused of raping a woman while a student at Florida State. That case was ultimately dropped because the investigation was a mess.

"I know I have to hold myself to a higher standard on and off the field and that I have a responsibility to my family, community, and teammates to live above the platform with which God has blessed me. I apologize to my teammates, the Buccaneers organization and fans for letting them down and for not being able to be out there for the first three games of the season."

"Although I am disappointed in the NFL’s decision, I understand the NFL’s process, and I embrace this as an opportunity to take advantage of the resources available to help me achieve the goals that I have for myself."

"I now look forward to putting this behind me and I will continue to work hard every day to be a positive influence in my community and be the best person, teammate and leader I can be."

3/2/2018 8:51 AM PST

Tampa Bay Bucs star Gerald McCoy is FURIOUS after he found out a group of boys called his 6th grade daughter the N-word at school ... and the school didn't tell him about it!

McCoy says the boys were playing "Truth or Dare" when one of the dares was to go up to McCoy's 12-year-old daughter and call her the n-word to her face.

Gerald says the boys were "bold enough to do it" -- and his daughter is devastated.

McCoy says his daughter did NOT get violent -- instead she reported the boys to school officials.

But what pissed Gerald off ... the school never contacted Gerald or his wife. Instead, he learned about the incident from his daughter and had to contact the school to find out how they were handling the situation.

McCoy says the school should have contacted the parents FIRST and then launched the investigation -- instead of the other way around.

"There is no way, shape or form where that was handled properly," McCoy says.

McCoy says the school ultimately decided on a 1-day suspension -- and McCoy is PISSED saying, "A 1-day suspension is not doing anything."

McCoy feels the school was trying to sweep the incident under the rug because they're not taking racism seriously enough ... and he feels it's important to share the story with the public.

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